The clock ticks closer to 2:30. I sit across the room enjoying the softness of the couch cousins before my work begins. I start working in my head all the things I know about the subject of fractions and making lists of the ways that I can convey the information in my head to another person. After a few minuets I decide that I can’t work out anything good so I give up and decide I will just try to flow with my student and react to what she needs both in the moment and long term.
I hear a far away door swing, feet clomping, and strange silence. This is strange because usually the voice hits before the other sounds but today there is nothing. Solemnly my little friend walks into the room and lays down her backpack without taking out her customary fractions homework assignment. I frown thinking about how I will have to insist and convince my friend that she can do the work and have her reluctantly retrieve her work page. I don’t want to have this “fight”. She comes and sits down next to me sad and slouching and says “Eliza, I have some bad news”. I change my face to one of puzzlement and let her continue. “Eliza, you can’t help me with my fractions homework anymore”. Pause. “Why” I ask. “I know you love doing fractions but my class finished the unit and I can already do them”. She walks back to her backpack and sadly shows me the paper that shows that her grade has gone up in this area two FULL letter grades. “Why are you sad?” I exclaim. “This is wonderful!” “I know how much you like doing fractions and we don’t get to do them anymore”. With as much pride and warmth as I can convey I say “You know what I love more? That you are able to do fractions so well on your own that you don’t need me to do them with you anymore”.
She smiles and goes to put her paper away. With renewed glee she goes off to play throughout the classroom. I sit and watch as more children come in and ask me things and have problems that I have to solve. I know there will be more fights over homework, being nice to others, and treating toys well but just for a few moments I sit on a very comfy couch and laugh inside at the fact that my little friend believed my acting, that I LOVED fractions, and smile at the fact that she was able to overcome her own “stops” and raise her grade.
Bliss
I hear a far away door swing, feet clomping, and strange silence. This is strange because usually the voice hits before the other sounds but today there is nothing. Solemnly my little friend walks into the room and lays down her backpack without taking out her customary fractions homework assignment. I frown thinking about how I will have to insist and convince my friend that she can do the work and have her reluctantly retrieve her work page. I don’t want to have this “fight”. She comes and sits down next to me sad and slouching and says “Eliza, I have some bad news”. I change my face to one of puzzlement and let her continue. “Eliza, you can’t help me with my fractions homework anymore”. Pause. “Why” I ask. “I know you love doing fractions but my class finished the unit and I can already do them”. She walks back to her backpack and sadly shows me the paper that shows that her grade has gone up in this area two FULL letter grades. “Why are you sad?” I exclaim. “This is wonderful!” “I know how much you like doing fractions and we don’t get to do them anymore”. With as much pride and warmth as I can convey I say “You know what I love more? That you are able to do fractions so well on your own that you don’t need me to do them with you anymore”.
She smiles and goes to put her paper away. With renewed glee she goes off to play throughout the classroom. I sit and watch as more children come in and ask me things and have problems that I have to solve. I know there will be more fights over homework, being nice to others, and treating toys well but just for a few moments I sit on a very comfy couch and laugh inside at the fact that my little friend believed my acting, that I LOVED fractions, and smile at the fact that she was able to overcome her own “stops” and raise her grade.
Bliss
Comments
maybe you should have gone into acting!